"As much as I hate to say that we should get our military back in Iraq, we've got to do it." -- Rep. Bradley Byrne

View full sizeU.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne talks to a business leader on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014, in Daphne, Ala.

DAPHNE, Alabama – President Barack Obama and his allies who are waging a "war on coal," not just to reduce greenhouse gases but to slow down the South's economic growth, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said Tuesday.

In a speech to the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, he took the argument one step further. He said that inexpensive energy has been a key factor in industrial recruitment, citing the 2007 decision by ThyssenKrupp to build a steel plant in Mobile County.

Town halls planned today for Saraland, Chatom

U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, will meet constituents today in Saraland and Chatom.

Byrne already has held 26 of the forums. It will be his first town hall meeting in Chatom, the Washington County seat, since taking office in January. He met residents in Saraland in May.

The meetings are part of a busy summer recess for Byrne, who met with area schools superintendents Monday, spoke to the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday and has toured area hospitals. Today’s schedule is as follows:

Chatom City Hall, at 27 Cochran Avenue, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Saraland City Council chambers, 939 U.S. 43 S., from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

"I think they're trying to wipe out the Southeast's competitive advantage," he said. "And we've got to fight back against that."

Byrne, R-Fairhope, said in an interview after his remarks that a huge amount of U.S.-mined coal ships out of the Port of Mobile to other countries. That coal will be burned in foreign power plants if American power companies cannot use it, he added.

He suggested that some in the administration and Congress want to level the playing field for depressed economic areas with higher energy costs.

"I absolutely think that is the case," he said.

A White House spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. The Obama administration has worked to strengthen regulations on coal, arguing that continued reliance on the fossil fuels is bad both for climate change and health reasons.

Energy was just one topic of a wide-ranging address in which Byrne touched on a number of familiar themes. Byrne touted his efforts to increase the red snapper fishing season in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and also addressed the national economy, defense and foreign policy.

Byrne also endorsed U.S. military action to combat Islamic forces that are taking over Iraq and erasing the Syrian border.

"As much as I hate to say that we should get our military back in Iraq, we've got to do it," he said. "We've got to stop these people before they get stronger."

Byrne said he believes a long-stalled effort to build a bridge over the Mobile River finally is back on track. He noted that it took the federal government a decade to prepare a draft environmental impact statement that is the first step in a long process necessary before construction can begin.

"It took us less time to put a man on the moon than to get a draft environmental impact statement on these spans," said Byrne, who pointed to a Tuesday morning car accident on the Bayway as the latest evidence that such a bridge is needed on Interstate 10.

Byrne said Austal USA, which accounts for some 6,000 jobs through direct and indirect employment, is vital not only for the local economy but the nation's defense. He acknowledged that the Austal-made littoral combat ship has been under fire from critics who question whether the small, fleet vessel has enough firepower and is durable enough to perform the Navy's missions.

Byrne said the Russian navy has some 300 ships in the based on the Crimean Peninsula.

"We don't have 300 ships in the entire Navy. Most of these Russian ships are littoral combat ships," he said.

A more robust military and assertive military are vital for protecting U.S. interests around the world, Byrne said. He said that the only nation that can stop Russian President Vladimir Putan's ambitions of re-assembling the Russian empire is the United States.

"And he's not scared of us," he said, adding that the same is true in the Pacific Ocean, where China is exerting its influence. "Even countries that aren't our friends as asking, 'Where's America?'" Byrne said.

Byrne touts red snapper bill

Byrne said a bill he has sponsored would remove regulatory powers on Gulf fisheries from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and give it to Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. That, he said, should lead to longer red snapper fishing seasons.

"All you have to do is put your hook in the water, and you get a fish," he said in explaining why he believes the red snapper population is much healthier than the federal government believes. "You don't have to be a good fisherman."

The Congressional Budget Office currently is examining the budgetary impact of Byrne's bill. He said he hopes the legislation will get a vote on the House floor by September. He also noted that it has support from Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and believes that is crucial in getting the bill a vote in the Senate.

To the 80 or so business leaders assembled Tuesday, Byrne said he believes excessive taxes and regulations are hurting the nation's economic recovery.

"We're depressing your economic activity because of all of the junk that we're throwing at you," he said.

On spending, Byrne made a point he has made in the past that the nation has to get "means-tested" entitlement spending under control. That would programs like food stamps, Medicaid, nutrition support for low-income pregnant women and dozens of other initiatives targeted at poorer Americans. It does not include old-age benefit programs, like Social Security and Medicare, or veterans' benefits.

In total, the government will spend some $750 billion this year on means-tested benefit programs – more than the entire Pentagon budget.

Updated at 12:10 p.m. to correct an error in the amount of money the United States spends on means-tested government programs.